How podcasting is changing the way we listen to music

With the advent of podcasting and desktop software, the ability for almost anyone to create their own music tracks has revolutionized the industry.

Many aspiring (and established) musicians use podcasting to share their music with the world.

When starting out, an aspiring musician will use a podcast to store and distribute their music to their fan base. They want to promote your podcast in an effort to increase interest in your music. Twenty-five or thirty years ago, these musicians would have to rent a recording studio and create a tape or CD (and before that, vinyl records). They would then be responsible for sending them to radio stations across the country in an effort to generate interest in their music.

This created considerable financial stress for the artist.

Trying to get his “big break” often included added financial costs by approaching record labels to take the risk of producing his music. Due to the high costs involved, most recording studios would reject attempts by these musicians to “break into the industry.” The front door opener would be if they could have documentation from radio stations attesting to the popularity of their music.

By using a podcast, these same musicians today can submit samples of their music through the use of social media. As more people become interested in your music, the number of subscribers increases. Along with the increase in subscribers comes a corresponding increase in the number of downloads.

These are the numbers that record companies will see today. It provided positive proof that there is at least “some interest” in people listening to this person’s music. I may not get them a record deal, but at least they have their foot in the door now!

In addition to generating interest through social media, as the music podcaster interacts with his followers, this creates a personal connection that was not available a few decades ago. In the past, almost all interaction took place on a concert stage. Today, conversations take place online between music icons and their fans. For an aspiring musician, it is possible to develop a large fan base that will help develop enthusiasm for new music.

This is another metric that record labels want to see. Not just the number of subscribers. Not just the number of downloads. But also the number of social followers that a musician or musical group has.

Many music podcasts are available online, produced by those who want to share their music with the world. A good majority of these podcasts are distributed by independent musicians, groups, or individuals who enjoy creating and sharing their music, but have a small fan base. If they didn’t have the ability to produce a podcast, they couldn’t stay connected with their listeners. Many podcasts also have the ability to leave comments on each episode. This also allows the podcaster player to interact with their listeners in a personal way.

Even established musicians and groups will use podcasting to their advantage.

Many will create a podcast and make it available to subscribers only. This keeps the general distribution of upcoming albums for his followers only. People will pay a monthly fee and have access to these new releases. Often times, they will be asked for their opinion. Songs that don’t resonate with your fans can be removed for re-recording. Songs that generate a lot of buzz could be released for a small one-time fee, exclusive only to existing subscribers.

This provides the group (or musician) with some additional income between the release of their albums. The fans are happy because they are involved in the creation of the album and “own” to promote it! The fans are happy. The musicians are happy. The record company is happy!

All of this available through the use of podcasts!